The Federal House of Representatives on Thursday directed its Committee on Public Accounts Committee to probe allegations that Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Deziani Allison-Madueke recklessly spent N3.120billion in two years on air charter services.
The committee was given two weeks within which the investigative hearing should be completed and its report submitted.
In a motion titled Urgent Need to Investigate the Waste of Resources on the Arbitrary Charter and Maintenance of a Challenger 850 Aircraft for Non-Official Use, Hon Adejare Samuel (APC, Lagos) alleged that Allison-Madueke unbelievably spent more than N10bn on maintaining the Challenger 850 Aircraft and its crew.
“In these days of scarce national resources where public finance is shrinking in the face of ever-increasing national needs such as roads, health, education and power, amongst others, it is hard to believe that an official of government could waste public funds on such luxury as chartering a Challenger 850 Aircraft for extra official use”, he lamented.
“In recent times, most states of the federation have been facing acute shortage of allocations due to the dwindling national revenue, which has reduced the quality of governance and deprived the people of dividends of democracy”.
Adejare claimed to be in possession of reliable evidence that the minister had been committing €500,000 (N130m) monthly to maintain the aircraft, which meant that within two years, a minimum of N3.120bn had gone into maintaining the private jet, which was only used to meet the personal needs of the minister and her family.
“It is an appalling act. There are strong indications that the above expenditure is only a tip of the iceberg, as several other billions of naira have been allegedly wasted on flying the jet all over the world obviously for the leisure of the Hon. Minister and her immediate family on trips that were of no benefit to the country”, he continued.
”This colossal waste is currently estimated at N10bn, which includes the payment of allowances to the crew for the trips, hanger parking and rent based on the lease agreement.
“If government could be bankrolling this waste in the face of ever-dwindling public resources, it amounts to a misplacement of priority, impudence and breach of public trust, an action that offends the Fiscal Responsibility Act and all other Laws on fiscal discipline in Nigeria”.
Hon. Friday Itulah (PDP, Edo) attempted to oppose the motion, but Speaker Aminu Tambuwal acted quickly to prevent him, saying the House rules does nhave no provisions for debating motions of the nature.
“We will put it to a voice vote and refer it to the relevant committee for further legislative action”, he said. “And I was made to understand that the committee had been on this issue before now”.
After Tambuwal’s call for a voice vote, the voices of APC members drown those of the PDP lawmakers.
